Siege of Bergen-op-Zoom (1618)

The Siege of Bergen-op-Zoom occurred when the Dutch States Army attempted to conquer the Austrian city of Bergen-op-Zoom in the summer of 1618. An 809-strong Dutch army under William of Nassau, consisting mostly of mercenaries, besieged the Austrian garrison (which consisted of a mere 77 troops), but the tenacious Austrians literally fought to the death, inflicting significant losses on the Dutch by pouring flaming oil on the battering rams and by holding their ground in the city center. The Dutch ultimately succeeded in taking the city, which was one of the first operations carried out against the Austrian strongholds in Brabant (Bergen-op-Zoom, Breda, and Tilburg). The battle occurred in the context of the Dutch Revolt, during which the Dutch fought against Habsburg forces in the Spanish Netherlands with the goal of achieving their independence.